Gratitude Day 2 – Choices Matter

Today was awesome. I managed to spend 3/4 of it with my youngest son, and not a scrap of it on anything work or house related. Yep. Totally worth it and not a hint of guilt!

The best part wasn’t the breakfast, or the meandering through shops to get inspired for Christmas or even the engaging conversations we shared over music, art and the power of words.

The best part was the way we connect. There is something so special to me as a parent to know that my child can share his heart without fear of it going further; that there is a freedom to express his views even when he knows we will ultimately agree to disagree.

Being a parent is probably the most challenging and exhausting ‘job’ a human being can have and I have certainly had my fair share of days and weeks where I just walk around, zombie-esque, managing day to day tasks and wondering where the time goes.

Quote by Miriam E Miles

But the best part is when all your hard work has a ripple effect and you see those efforts – those choices you made early on: how to discipline, how to love, how to share, how to grieve, how to give, how to encourage and how to admonish – come full circle in the feedback given, sitting in the car, driving around with no particular plan and no ‘outcomes’ being sought after.

I realise that not every parent has had the same experiences as I have and for the record, not every day turns out like this one, but I am sharing about it anyway because I think we all have the right to expect this kind of relationship from our loved ones. It starts with us though, and as I take time to develop myself and to get the healing my mind and spirit require, I become that parent that I want to be. And then sometimes, that flows over to my children and deepens our relationship.

Here is my ultimate thought for today:

There is not a day that goes by when there is a chance for a relationship to turn 180 degrees and be restored. Every day, every person will choose – to damage, or to restore – and as we choose to restore, we are granted access to the most powerful things in the universe: love, joy, forgiveness, and, ultimately, reconciliation.

May your relationships with those you love find greater fulfilment today. Make that phone call. Write that letter. Send that text. Do it now. It will be worth the momentary panic that it might not work. Because one day, the payoff will come and it will be worth that moment where you made that choice to restore.

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Published by Miriam E. Miles

Miriam is a writer, author, wife and mother of two and a musician, poet and lover of all things fashionable. She's recently joined the ranks of Newbie Grandparent and become the founder of Christian Mental Wellness Australia.
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